I didn't buy too many new things last year. Paul's Ocean's Kingdom was one. It's okay, nothing to get excited about probably. I lose patience with these esoteric things he does between his pop/rock albums. His creative energy used to be focused on the pop/rock, but now it's flung in many directions, and I don't find anything he does very satisfying anymore, though he obviously enjoys the variety. I am looking forward to the ...Bottom record, though.

The other new one I picked up was Paul Simon's So Beautiful or So What. Maybe I'm just too jaded these days, but it didn't move me either. Not bad, but underwhelming.

mr h atom wrote:...spent more time buying older stuff i'd either missed the first time or somehow lost over the years...a little neil young, some springsteen, some james taylor...

other than the waits,the only two that i keep returning to are the flaming lips 'soft bulletin' and the cure 'the top'...so i guess those are my big 3

Ditto, Mr. H, on finding the old stuff missed the first time around! That's what I've been doing for the last few years, mostly with Todd Rundgren, Genesis, Three Dog Night(!?), Isley Brothers, and James Taylor as well. I also picked up The Soft Bulletin last year as an experiment and was pleasantly surprised. (Those drums are a little cavernous...)

Paul working with Nick Lowe- Guess we ll never see that. Goin to see Nick Lowe live in a couple of week and really look forward to it. Listened to hm since the seventies and he is one artist that is better and better. Right now I would say that he is the greatest songwriter of them alland the music he makes is very much in the mood of Pauls new album. Guess it has to do with my own age that I get more and more drawn to this kind of laidback and calm music. Nick Lowe actually wrote a song about him passing away om the new album. It s called Checkout time, the music is in the Jonny Cash style and the lyrics takes a more sharp look at the comin passing than Pauls the end of the end

Liked a lot of individual tracks this year but in terms of complete albums it was a tough year. Even the ones listed below are IMHO the best of a weak bunch. None would be in the top 10 if they came out in 1967. But it was a good year if thinking in terms of "singles"

mr h atom wrote:...is that early genesis (w/pg) or after-pg (i like 'em both, for different reasons)...

It's mostly the Phil stuff. I started around 1976 and went forward, and am now working back from The Lamb... I've been enjoying the reissues/remixes from a few years ago, the ones with the DVD. The remixes are horribly compressed but the interviews from 2007 are great.

mhnso wrote:Paul working with Nick Lowe- Guess we'll never see that...

Heck, why not? Who would have guessed a year ago that he'd do an album with Tommy Lipuma?

Another great album last year is Ry Cooders Pull up some dust. A very politicalalbum with absolutely wonderful lyrics and music So my favourite album last hearTom Waits Bad as meNick Lowe old magicRy Cooder - Pull up some dust